Entering ballet class late

[Renee5090]

My daughter has a schedule conflict with ballet and school. The earliest she can get to ballet is15 minutes late. She has been taking ballet for 8 years at the same studio, and this is the first time she has had a conflicting schedule. How should she properly enter the class late as to not disturb the teacher and the students?

[dkd]

I would ask the teacher.

Usually you would wait for the teacher to allow you to enter the room. I guess that only works if there's a window though.

[Renee5090]

There is no window. Just an open door. Should she ask the teacher or just stand there?

[Victoria Leigh]

If it is going to be an every class thing, then she should talk to the teacher and tell her that she will be late every time. But, this should be sanctioned by the AD first. Then, each day when she enters the class, she should wait for acknowledgement by the teacher that she can go to the barre and begin her barre work and try to catch up.

 

This is not optimal, as the beginning of classes are quite important. If there is any way to get her out of school just enough earlier to make the class on time, I would certainly try to make that arrangement with her academic school.

[backstagemom]

Have you discussed the scheduling conflict with the AD? I would do that first to see if there is another class time that is an appropriate fit for your DD. If not, I would ask the AD the procedure for entering class at your studio. Is the conflict an after school activity? If so, I would speak to the teacher in charge to see if she could leave early. My DD was in the school musical last year, but she spoke to her teacher about her dance commitment (which came first), and was allowed to leave rehearsals early. If the academic portion of school is still in session, I can't help but wonder why your DD's dance studio is starting classes so early? My DD's pre pro class will begin at 4 this year, but she will already be at the studio for company day classes, so it's not an issue. All of the students placed in this class will already be there, or can get there by 4. The only other 4:00 classes are the youngest groups who are out of school by that time, otherwise, most classes begin later in the evening (the oldest students generally go the latest hours).

[Katya]

We live 45min - 1 hr drive from one of the two campuses of our studio. With metropolitan area traffic, sometimes commute time can be unpredictable. Our school AD understands that we commute from further away than most other students, and my DD has a standing permission to come in late as needed. Most of the time, we don't need to use it, but sometimes we must. I appreciate the flexibility on the part of the school for this issue.

 

Once a week, I pick up my daughter 10 min early from school to be on time for her classes. I would see if you can arrange something with your daughter's school re: early dismissal. Take a look what her last class is; with luck, it's a reading period (she can read a little more in the car perhaps) or another elective. My DD knows that if she has an exam when she gets called for early dismissal, she can finish the exam and come down later - that will be the day we will use the "come in late to class" card.

 

Hopefully, that shared experience helps you make the best choices for your DD.

[Renee5090]

Thank you so much for the suggestions. Her last class at school is an academic, so I am not sure how flexible her school will be. I can always ask.

[SewRibbons]

We were looking at this issue last year and it was one of the reasons we ended up having to change studios. The old school would not allow a 15 minute late arrival every day and, truthfully, we wouldn't have gone for it either. We contemplated homeschooling to get her there on time, but ended up changing studios for one that is far closer to us. The general rule at the three pre-pro schools that DD's been at was if you arrive after tendus, you observe class.